St. Mary Medical Center received approval from the Planning Commission last week to proceed with building a new hospital in Victorville. The Victorville campus will add 128 hospital beds to St. Mary’s existing 202 beds in Apple Valley. According to the site plan, the Victorville campus also will provide wellness facilities and retail space. The project will bring 2,100 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent and secondary jobs to the Victor Valley, as well as $7.8 million in annual sales and property taxes.

The High Desert region has an average of 1.1 hospital beds per 1,000 population compared to 1.9 in California and 2.7 nationwide. Hospital officials estimated the population in the desert will grow by 42 percent between 2008 and 2018.

The project is scheduled to move to City Council for approval in May. The new 98-acre campus, which will be built between Bear Valley Road and Main Street west of Interstate 15, is on track to open in 2016.